Island View Reserve Playground

Island View Reserve's playground is built for climbers: a timber and wire-rope course strung along the back of the dunes at the quieter south end of Whangamatā, on the Coromandel, with a flying fox that even a four-year-old can ride solo. The reserve covers 4.7 ha, and its coastal strip runs about 500 metres along the ocean beach just over the sand hills.¹

Equipment

The council built the playground in 2013/14 with a flying fox,¹ and when that was stolen in 2020 it was replaced.² Around it is a ropes-course circuit: hanging disc stepping stones on steel cables, rope ladders, timber platforms, a swinging log-rung bridge and monkey bars, with log steps climbing the dune bank behind. A separate swing frame carries a big nest swing, a strap swing and a toddler bucket seat, all looking out to sea. Reviewers mention a small climbing wall too, though its holds have worn smooth.

Most of it rewards confident climbers. Parents of three-year-olds found it a bit big, while a twelve-year-old was properly challenged. Bark chip inside timber edging covers the ground.

Practical Info

Flush toilets and a cold outdoor shower for rinsing off sand sit by the car park,³ though one recent reviewer felt uneasy that the toilet doors had lost their male and female signs. The council lists picnic tables,¹ but a visitor found only a bench near the play area, so pack a rug. Photos show no shade sails; the Norfolk pines and pōhutukawa around the edges give some cover. There is no fence, but the play area sits well back from both the road and the beach.

The top car park also takes four self-contained freedom camping vans,⁴ and kayak hire for paddles out to Whenuakura (Donut Island) runs from the reserve.³ Weekend markets set up here, more often in peak summer.⁵ Whangamata adventure playground, under 3 km away in town, makes a second stop.